Leaders take a stand against hate crime in Warwick district

A strong message against hate crime has been given out by community leaders and organisations within Warwick district at a recent meeting.

The meeting, organised by Warwickshire Police, Warwickshire Race Equality Partnership (WREP) and Warwick District Council, was held at Leamington’s Gurdwara Sahib Temple on Thursday July 21 in response to rising hate crime in the country since Brexit.

The meeting was held to address community concerns, let people know where they can get help and provide reassurance that support is available.

Speakers at the meeting included Chris White MP, district council leader Andrew Mobbs and BBC Coventry and Warwickshire presenter Trish Adudu.

Chief Inspector Faz Chishty said: “While we have not seen a significant increase in reported hate crime in the district since the referendum, we know that hate crimes are underreported generally and it is important that people are telling us about it so we can get an accurate picture of the issue and address it.

“From speaking to our communities we know that they have concerns.

“The event was about sending the message that we won’t tolerate hate crime and neither should they.

“There are people here to provide support and we will work to bring those who commit these crimes to justice.”